Columbia  (College 
in  the  (City  of  Bern  ty 


Statement 

OF  THE 

Committee  on  Site 


January,  1892 


Avery  Architectural  and  Fine  Arts  Library 
Gift  of  Seymour  B.  Durst  Old  York  Library 


1-16-92-2,000 


Columbia  College, 

nth  January,  1892. 

The  Committee  on  Site  of  the  Trustees  of  Columbia  Col- 
lege have  been  charged  with  the  duty  of  making  particular 
enquiries  into  the  suitability  for  College  purposes  of  the  land 
at  116th  Street  and  the  Boulevard  now  offered  for  sale  by 
the  Governors  of  the  New  York  Hospital,  and  especially  as 
to  the  probable  expense  of  improving  the  property,  and  as 
to  the  practicability  of  making  at  least  temporary  use  of  the 
existing  buildings.  The  Committee  have  also  been  empow- 
ered to  procure  estimates  of  the  value  of  the  available  assets 
of  the  College,  for  the  purpose  of  enabling  the  Trustees  to 
determine  whether  the  proposed  purchase  can  be  prudently 
undertaken.  These  enquiries  have  not  yet  been  concluded, 
but  they  have  so  far  progressed  as  to  make  it  manifest  to 
the  Committee  that  if  the  land  in  question  is  to  be  pur- 
chased at  the  price  asked,  and  such  alterations  and  additions 
to  the  existing  buildings  are  to  be  made  as  will  fit  the  prop- 
erty even  for  temporary  use,  the  Trustees  must  either  incur 
such  heavy  obligations  as  will  greatly  hamper  the  work  of 
the  College  and  delay  its  growth  ;  or  they  must  obtain  very 
substantial  assistance  of  a  financial  kind.  The  first  alterna- 
tive is  one  which  the  Committee  would  hesitate  to  recom- 
mend to  the  Trustees,  and  which  they  believe  the  Trustees 
would  be  slow  to  adopt  ;  and  the  Committee  have  therefore 
determined  to  make  at  once  an  earnest  effort  to  obtain  from 
those  interested  in  higher  education  such  assurances  of  sup- 
port and  help  as  will  render  the  project  of  removal  imme- 
diately practicable. 

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Under  these  circumstances,  it  is  becoming  that  the  argu- 
ments in  favor  of  the  proposed  plan  should  be  clearly  stated, 
and  that  the  financial  situation  of  the  College  with  reference 
to  it  should  be  made  plain. 

The  Committee  assume  that  no  argument  is  needed  to 
demonstrate  the  impossibility  of  the  practical  development 
of  a  great  university  on  our  present  site.  This  block,  just 
about  one  tenth  the  size  of  the  proposed  site,  is  already  too 
small  for  our  needs ;  and  its  nearness  to  the  railroad  makes 
it,  for  purposes  of  instruction,  almost  as  unsuitable  as  it  is 
too  small.  The  necessity  for  removal  being  conceded,  the 
question  arises  as  to  where  the  most  advantageous  site  can 
be  found,  whether  in  the  city  or  its  suburbs  ;  and  upon  this 
point  opinions  may  differ,  although  the  Committee  are  con- 
vinced that  a  just  appreciation  of  the  existing  conditions 
and  the  future  needs  of  the  College  all  lead  to  but  one  con- 
clusion. The  city  is  so  obviously  the  best  place  for  students 
pursuing  university  courses  or  attending  professional  schools 
as  to  leave  no  doubt  that  university  work  at  least  must  be 
conducted  at  an  accessible  point  within  the  city  limits.  As 
a  metropolitan  university,  Columbia  enjoys  advantages  so 
exceptional  as  to  render  any  change  involving  the  sacrifice 
of  these  advantages  clearly  injudicious.  The  same  influences 
which  draw  to  the  city  the  strongest  men  in  other  depart- 
ments of  life,  in  these  days,  will  draw  also  the  most  accom- 
plished educators,  and  a  university  is  made  great  by  its 
teachers.  The  city  also  is  full  of  opportunities  which  con- 
tribute to  the  student's  advantage.  But  both  of  these 
results  depend  upon  being  in  the  city.  Neither  one  advan- 
tage nor  the  other  attaches  to  the  suburbs.  So  much  of 
Columbia's  work  as  is  of  this  advanced  character,  in  the 
opinion  of  the  Committee,  could  only  be  moved  off  of  Man- 
hattan Island,  or  away  from  a  central  position  upon  it,  at 
incalculable  loss.  Moreover,  Columbia  is  too  old  a  tree  to 
be  transplanted  into  a  new  soil  without  injury,  and  to  be 
subjected  to  conditions  wholly  foreign  to  its  past. 

It  is  possible,  however,  to  consider  it  practicable  to  move 
the  College  work  into  the  country,  while  retaining  the  uni- 


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versity  work  in  the  city.  There  are  some  who  favor  this, 
especially  among  those  who  think  of  the  College  as  it  was 
twenty  years  ago  rather  than  as  it  is  to-day.  The  reasons 
against  this  course  are  many,  but  the  following  appear  to 
the  Committee  conclusive.  Obviously,  it  would  involve  a 
separation  which  in  its  general  effect  could  not  fail  to  be 
weakening  ;  it  would  necessitate  a  large  increase  of  the 
faculty,  many  of  whom  are  engaged  in  both  university  and 
College  work  ;  it  would  necessitate  a  duplication  of  our  col- 
lections, of  apparatus,  and  of  books,  only  to  be  had  at  a 
very  large  original  outlay  :  and  it  would  lead  to  greatly  in- 
creased cost  of  administration.  Moreover,  such  a  separa- 
tion would  be  necessarily  fatal  to  the  system  adopted  a  year 
ago,  under  which  students  in  the  College  enjoy  exceptional 
advantages  in  all  the  associated  schools.  The  advanced 
students  also  are  permitted  to  select  courses  under  several 
faculties,  and  the  effect  has  been  to  afford  all  of  our  students 
the  most  liberal  opportunities,  of  which  they  have  been 
quick  to  avail  themselves.  The  system  also  has  tended 
strongly  to  bind  together  the  College  and  the  several  schools 
by  a  community  of  interest  which  would  inevitably  be 
destroyed  by  a  separation  of  the  parts,  and  which  cannot 
be  lost  without  the  greatest  injury  to  all.  It  may  be 
pointed  out  also  that  in  entering  upon  the  conduct  of  a 
country  college,  Columbia  would  be  entering  upon  a  com- 
petition in  what  is  to  her  a  new  field,  which  is  already 
crowded,  where  she  would  be  pitting  her  inexperience 
against  the  experience  and  traditions  of  other  colleges, 
several  of  whom,  for  purposes  of  this  work,  are  stronger  and 
more  venerable  than  herself :  colleges,  too,  which  can  carry 
on  all  their  work  from  one  centre,  while  Columbia  would  be 
compelled  in  such  a  case  to  divide  her  energies  between 
two.  Finally,  it  is  the  opinion  of  the  Committee  that  the 
College  owes  to  the  city  a  certain  allegiance  which  is  not  to 
be  disregarded.  Founded  in  the  very  midst  of  the  city, 
first  endowed  by  4k  The  Rector  and  Inhabitants  of  the  City 
of  New  York,"  the  College  owes  its  first  duty  to  the  people 
of  the  metropolis,  and  that  duty  the  Committee  believe 


6 


can  best  be  performed  by  retaining  for  all  the  departments 
of  the  College  a  situation  in  the  heart  of  the  city  itself. 

The  problem  is,  therefore,  to  select  a  site  within  the  city, 
large  enough  to  permit  the  fullest  development  of  the  Col- 
lege in  all  its  parts,  both  graduate  and  undergraduate.  For 
this  purpose  the  property,  on  which  the  Trustees  have  an 
option,  has  many  and  great  advantages.  The  verdict  of 
public  opinion  has  been  practically  unanimous  in  its 
favor.  By  existing  rapid  transit  facilities  it  is  as  near,  in 
point  of  time,  to  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons 
(the  Medical  Department  of  Columbia)  as  our  present 
situation.  It  is  nearer  to  the  American  Museum  of  Natural 
History  and  the  new  site  of  the  Historical  Society,  and  it  is 
but  a  little  farther  from  the  Metropolitan  Museum  of  Art. 
The  near  future  is  certain  to  increase,  its  accessibility.  Its 
situation  on  the  heights,  one  hundred  and  thirty-eight  feet 
above  the  sea  level,  protects  it  from  the  annoyance  of 
passing  railroad  trains,  while  its  relation  to  the  West  side 
of  the  city  secures  for  it  all  of  the  advantages  of  rapid 
transit. 

Topographically,  this  site  is  singularly  well  adapted  for  our 
purposes.  It  comprises  nearly  twenty  acres  of  land,  richly 
wooded  in  part,  and  almost  perfectly  level,  constituting  a 
plateau  overlooking  the  Hudson  River  and  the  city,  and 
lying  between  the  Morningside  and  the  Riverside  Parks.  Its 
surroundings  are  among  the  most  beautiful  which  the  City 
affords,  and  its  position  the  most  commanding,  so  that  the 
College  buildings  would  there  be  seen  to  the  greatest  advan- 
tage, and  might  be  made  to  typify  the  importance  to  New 
York  of  a  great  university ;  for  that  city  is  not  greatest 
which  gathers  into  itself  the  largest  numbers  and  the  great- 
est contributions  of  wealth  and  power  from  without.  The 
greatest  city  is  that  which  contributes  most  to  the  welfare 
and  progress  of  mankind,  and  a  university,  through  what  it 
discovers  and  through  what  it  teaches,  is  one  of  the  most 
important  agencies  whereby  a  city  can  become  enduringly 
famous.  The  proposed  site  is  bounded  by  the;Boulevard 
and  Amsterdam  Avenue,  116th  and  120th  Streets,  and  is 


7 


775  feet  m  width  by  about  980  in  length,  more  than  twice  the 
size  of  Madison  Square.  Compared  with  the  grounds  occu- 
pied by  other  colleges,  it  is  about  the  size  of  the  Harvard 
Yard  and  nearly  twice  the  size  of  the  Yale  Campus.  Within 
its  limits  could  be  placed  all  the  quadrangles  of  the  three 
largest  colleges  of  Oxford  or  Cambridge. 

If  a  carefully  considered  system  of  construction  is  adopted, 
the  space  available  for  buildings  of  all  kinds  will  be  much 
greater  than  that  enjoyed  by  either  Harvard  or  Yale,  where 
economy  of  space  has  not  been  studied  ;  and  a  harmonious 
and  imposing  architectural  effect  can  readily  be  produced. 
Among  such  buildings  there  will  be  ample  space  for  a  gym- 
nasium, which,  with  the  proximity  of  the  Hudson  and  Harlem 
Rivers  and  the  new  Athletic  Field,  will  afford  excellent 
opportunities  for  physical  exercise,  and  supply  advantages 
which  even  some  country  colleges  do  not  enjoy.  The  streets 
intersecting  the  property  have  been  closed  by  an  Act  of  the 
Legislature,  and,  as  there  is  no  demand  on  the  part  of  ad- 
joining property  owners,  and  no  probable  cause  for  the 
opening  of  such  streets,  there  is  every  reason  to  believe  that 
the  property  will  remain  undivided.  The  Cathedral  of  St. 
John  the  Divine  and  the  Grant  Monument  are  to  be  erected 
upon  the  same  plateau  and  within  a  few  blocks  of  the  proposed 
site,  and  if  Columbia  should  be  enabled  to  develop  the 
property  to  its  full  possibilities,  the  locality  would  become  a 
part  of  the  City  which  every  stranger  would  visit  and  of 
which  every  citizen  would  be  proud. 

These  are  the  reasons,  in  brief,  why  the  Committee  have 
recommended  to  the  Trustees  the  consideration  of  this  par- 
ticular site. 

The  financial  aspects  of  the  problem  arc  these:  The  price 
asked  for  the  property  is  two  million  dollars.  Against  this 
sum  the  assets  which  appear  to  be  available  for  the  purchase 
are : 

First :  The  site  now  occupied  by  the  College,  bounded  by 
Forty-ninth  and  Fiftieth  Streets  and  Madison  and  Fourth 
Avenues,  comprising  a  plot  of  ground  about  400  by  200  feet, 
together  with  substantial  buildings,  which  may  be  capable 


8 


of  conversion  by  a  purchaser  to  some  other  than  the  present 

use. 

Second :  The  piece  of  ground  on  the  Westerly  side  of  the 
Boulevard  or  Eleventh  Avenue,  in  the  neighborhood  of 
160th  Street,  and  running  Westerly  to  the  new  public  drive, 
with  two  small  irregular  gores  on  the  Westerly  side  of  the 
public  drive,  comprising  about  one  hundred  and  thirty  city 
lots. 

Third :  The  bequest  under  the  will  of  Mr.  Fayerweather, 
of  which  $200,000  is  payable  absolutely ;  in  addition  thereto 
the  College  is  entitled  to  one  tenth  part  of  the  residue  after 
payments  to  various  beneficiaries  are  made,  the  value  of 
such  residue  being  problematical. 

It  is  apparent  that  any  estimate  of  the  value  of  all  this 
property  must  be  largely  conjectural.  But,  placing  the 
highest  estimate  upon  it,  it  would  be  insufficient  to  pay  even 
the  price  asked  for  the  land.  That  price  is,  however,  but  a 
portion  of  the  expense  necessary  to  be  incurred  in  order  to 
effect  a  removal  of  the  College.  The  reserve  funds  now  on 
hand,  not  included  in  the  above  estimate,  are,  it  is  believed, 
sufficient  to  pay  the  actual  expenses  of  removing,  including 
such  changes  as  may  be  necessary  to  render  the  buildings 
upon  the  new  grounds  temporarily  available  for  the  pur- 
poses of  the  College.  These  buildings,  at  the  best,  would 
fall  far  short  of  providing  for  our  necessities.  Assuming 
that  they  could  be  temporarily  used  for  purposes  of  admin- 
istration, for  laboratories,  class-rooms,  and  the  like,  it  would 
still  be  necessary  to  erect  a  library,  a  building  containing 
the  larger  lecture  rooms  needed  for  the  work  of  the  College, 
a  chapel,  a  large  hall  or  auditorium,  and  a  gymnasium,  and 
probably  other  buildings.  Even  if  the  chapel,  auditorium, 
and  gymnasium  were  for  a  time  dispensed  with,  the  cost  of 
the  essential  new  buildings  would  be  very  great,  and  the 
amount  required  must,  in  any  event,  be  raised  from  some 
source  to  enable  the  College  to  carry  out  the  proposed  plan 
of  removal. 

If  the  Fayerweather  bequest  be  used  in  the  manner  indi- 
cated the  Committee  hope  \t  may  be  so  arranged  that,  in 


9 


connection  with  a  building,  a  quadrangle,  or  in  some  other 
similar  way,  Mr.  Fayerweathers  name  may  be  perpetuated 
as  one  of  the  great  benefactors  of  New  York's  historic  uni- 
versity. When  it  is  remembered  that  Columbia  is  but  one 
hundred  and  thirty-seven  years  old,  and  that  universities 
reckon  their  lives  by  centuries,  it  is  clear  that  such  an  asso- 
ciation will  offer  a  most  enduring  and  worthy  memorial. 

To  conclude  :  The  Committee  desire  to  make  two  points 
clear : 

First :  That  early  removal  is  a  necessity  ;  that  a  removal 
of  the  whole  institution  (except  the  Medical  School)  to 
some  point  upon  Manhattan  Island  is  the  wisest  course,  and 
that  the  Bloomingdale  site  appears  to  offer  exceptional 
advantages  for  our  purposes. 

Second :  That  if  Columbia  is  to  secure  this  site,  and  is  to 
proceed  without  interruption  in  her  development  as  a  uni- 
versity, she  must  have  material  help. 

If  the  living  New  York  will  touch  with  its  vitalizing 
finger  the  endowments  of  the  past,  there  lies  before  this 
city  in  the  immediate  future  the  prospect  of  possessing  a 
university,  of  which  not  only  New  York  will  be  proud,  but 
which  will  become  in  time  the  pride  and  the  satisfaction 
of  the  whole  United  States. 

Seth  Low. 

Wm.  C.  Schermerhorn. 
Morgan  Dix. 
George  L.  Rives. 
C.  Vanderbilt. 


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